My Top 10 Favorite Video Games (10-6)
Awhile ago I tried making a list of my top 100 video games of all time, and I did it in incraments of 10. This worked for a bit, until I played a new game that knocked the rest of the list out of whack. I also stopped that because there were many video games that are obviously great that I have yet to play. I never had a PlayStation 2, so I missed out on a lot of games that would definitely rank very highly with me, like Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, or Jak & Daxter. There's a lot of games that are on my "to play" list, but I haven't had the time to play them, like any Final Fantasy or Metroid games, which made me hesitant to construct a list in the first place. But I did my top 10 least favorite, and I highly doubt that my top 10 favorite games ever are going to change... much. For this list, I had a hard time keeping some games out. They were games that I may have spent hundreds of hours that didn't make this list. Hell, my favorite video game genre is 3D Platformers and not one of them made this list. The closest was either Spyro 3, or Psychonauts. And no, this list isn't going to be filled of artsy deep games. They're games that I've had a very personal connection with in one way or another. Number 10: Roller Coaster Tycoon Deluxe (PC) See, not all of them are deep. And yes, the deluxe is important. You see, when I started playing this video game I was a stupid kid and didn't know that you could play music in the background while you're playing. Then again, back then I didn't really have any knowledge of popular music. So, with the base game you were either hearing the merry-go-round or just ambient sounds. Then came the expansion pack. For those who are too young to remember, expansion packs are what we used to call DLC. Back then though, it was made after the video game was released and added a lot to the game. In fact, if you reinstalled the game without the expansion pack sometime down the road, it would feel incomplete... instead of actually being incomplete like DLC today. The expansion packs here added so much to the game that I felt there was more content in it than Roller Coaster Tycoon's actual sequel. I suppose I should talk about the sequels, and why I like this one more. Well Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 didn't have very memorable park scenarios, and the new content didn't impress me too much. As for the third one, I have very mixed feelings. First of all, the scenarios are very boring so you'll always be playing the sandbox mode. This makes the fast forward button they added less useful than I should have found it. I liked the isometric view the best. The new rides here were really cool, but there were just some aspects I couldn't get behind. The terrain editor was completely broken. The sandbox starts in a flat land so you want to change it up, but if you change it up slightly the pathways that go over it will never connect. It's kind of broken. Also it's too dark at night. The first one is the one I had the most fun with. There was no sandbox mode, unless you counted Arid Heights (which I kind of did), but the scenarios were interesting enough to keep me coming back. I have a hard time explaining why I find this game so enjoyable. Most of it is micromanaging while you're waiting for a new ride to enter your arsenal, rides that you've probably seen a dozen times before when you're getting close to unlocking the mega park. And yes, it is a past time to kill as many guests as you can by drowning them, or launching them into the air through a launched freefall or shuttle loop. Did you know that there's also a Roller Coaster Tycoon board game? I had fun with that too. The music was simple, but something you could (and would) be listening to for hours upon hours. My favorites are probably Summer Style, Western Style, and Oriental Style—most of the soft ones. Then again, the only ones that I didn't like were water style and gentle style. Despite being called "roller coaster tycoon" I didn't often make roller coaster. They either ended up too boring, or crashing. The best strategy is to research all thrill rides first, at least until you get the go karts. They always give me the best results, like getting over 100,000 dollars (with debt paid off) in Leafy Lake. Number 9: Minecraft (PC) Have you ever played a game for so long and for so many ways that you have a hard time explaining exactly what you like about it? That's Minecraft for you. I know for a fact that I've sunk more hours into this game than literally any other game I've ever played. And I haven't even slain the Wither or Enderdragon, so I'm not done here. I mean, one week I'm trying to play a survival on an island. Another week I'm building a complex dungeon filled with traps and redstone in creative mode. Let me count all of the ways I've played Minecraft. There's the standard way of playing it "normally." Having a survival game, playing survival, and building castles and searching for diamonds. Your joy is revitalized after each and every update. And let me say, I started playing before the Nether existed. Each time there was a new major update, if it didn't help me keep playing this way, it started me anew. Then you get multiplayer going and the game essentially starts over for you. You download some maps that people have created, like the Super Hostile series. Then you try making your own map. When that gets boring, you start making other things—like realistic cities, or real-world monuments. Then, if that doesn't last you, you start modding the game. It can be as simple as the "too many items" mod or airplanes, but it'll give you new ways to play. I'm a creative-type, so all I need is to open this game and I'm given days of enjoyment. All I need is a project and my creativity can flow. Number 8: Baldur's Gate (PC) No, not all of my favorite games are for PC. I've played consoles a lot more than PC. It's just that the PC has or had many, many games. And then there's Baldur's Gate. This is a weird genre. It's not quite action RPG, but definitely not turn-based. I've literally dubbed it a "Baldur's Gate-type" RPG. Another game that would fall under this genre would be the first two Fallouts. Honestly, for some weird reason, isometric games have resonated with me the most—even though it usually has nothing to do with them being isometric. I loved Project Zomboid. Age of Empires II is my favorite strategy game of all time, and Stronghold isn't that far behind. I've had a lot of fun in the Sims (although I tend to use it as an architecture simulator instead of a dollhouse simulator). So, Baldur's Gate. From what I hear, it's aged poorly. Has it? I have no idea. There really isn't much of a time that I stopped playing this game. I mean, this game isn't as accessible as something like Skyrim. There are a lot of scenarios where you will instantly die, because you didn't have a good enough strategy... or good enough luck. And yes, there are a lot of things that the game doesn't tell you. You can get your party members revived... unless they get petrified, or take 10 more damage than their maximum health. It uses 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons rules, and I think it expects you to know them. It's not that hard to learn though, but just keep in mind: the quick save button is your new best friend. I don't define a good (or my favorite) games by not having flaws, but by how much its good parts take me through the bad parts. Take Ocarina of Time. I love that game because the good parts take me through its stupid stealth segment, the stupid Owl, Navi, and the water temple. The good parts take me through many of the more frustrating parts of this game, like being waylaid by enemies (getting a random encounter) about three times before you make it the next era or the meat walls called Ankhegs. Those things still scare the hell out of me. As to the basilisks. So, why is this game one of my favorites? Well, like Minecraft, there are many ways to play. And I mean beyond the immense character creation, but let's talk about that first. I've played all of the classes in single player mode (I'll get to that in a bit). Whether you play as a fighter or a mage, you're going to have a different game. My two favorite classes were actually dual classes of a fighter/thief/mage, or a mage/cleric. They're both really fun to play. As for single class, I'd go with a paladin. The combat abilities and extra healing really comes in handy during some of the more difficult section of the game like Cloakwood. And then there's my favorite way to play: playing multiplayer by yourself. It sounds weird, but there's a reason for this. When you play multiplayer alone you can customly make a party of six. All six members can be whatever you want. And if you count that as cheating, I have beaten the game in a single player run. I'm also in the middle of playing through the game with a party of one. And it doesn't take anything out of the depth of the game if you base the other characters on your friends or family (it might be a little creepy, but whatever). And the characters do get personified by what they can do, no matter what. The only question is why didn't I pick Baldur's Gate's sequel? After all, isn't that considered one of the best RPG's ever made? Eh... there are a few reasons it didn't really hit me. First of all is the first area. I hate excessively long intros. You can get out of Candlekeep in less than 5 minutes if you want to. You're stuck in the first dungeon for about two hours here. It also kind of forces your party members there, and it kind of takes that choice out of the first game. I like Minsc Baldur's Gate II, but... I don't really want him in my team after I gave him that Berseker sword that makes him attack everything almost randomly. Then there's the fact that it took out entangle, my favorite druid spell. And finally, the original Baldur's Gate let you explore. For you to get to a new area all you have to do is walk to the edge of an area adjacent to you. You'll find new things and they'll constantly be a surprise. In Baldur's Gate II, people have to tell you where places are before you can go there and it feels like it's locking a lot of the content away from you. I could go on and on with some of my favorite memories from this game, like finding Captain Barge for the first time out of nowhere. Back then I liked it because it boosted my reputation and gave me a cool sword—that makes whoever holds it go crazy and attack anyone during combat—whether they be enemies, random NPC's, or party members. Nowadays, I like the story aspect of it along with that sword. Speaking of cursed items, everyone remembers the Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity, which should probably make its appearance in more video games. It can be hilarious if you put it on without identifying it and realizing what it does. Number 7: Recettear – An Item Shop's Tale (PC) I want to tell you the story of how I decided to buy this game. I downloaded the demo on a whim and had a lot of fun with it. It's essentially a dungeon crawler fused with a business simulation game. You sell the stuff in a store that you collect in a dungeon. I got up to the second dungeon area in the game, the Jade Way, and fell in love with the music. What actually cemented me buying this game was triggering a trap in the Jade Way. Out of nowhere three giant trout started spinning through the area, pounding everything they hit. I found it so funny that I needed to buy this game. Every so often, you find those games that just felt like they were made for you. Like, it ticks all of the right boxes. Beyond being the fusion of two genres that I really, really like, it just has an outstanding feel. The story isn't much, but the writing is fantastic and it's one of the funniest games that you'll play in quite some time. It doesn't even need to be raunchy like Conker's Bad Fur Day to do so. All you need is a weird little girl claiming that someone wants to steal her cuteness and you've got a very funny game. This game is a completionist's dream. It gives you an item encyclopedia, that indexes every single item in the game. And there are a lot of items in the game, and some of them are very, very rare. I have fun hunting for these rare drops because no matter which of the eight playable adventurers you use, the game is going to be enjoyable. They all play slightly different too. You start off with Louie, who's basically Link from Legend of Zelda. He has a sword beam and a spin attack, he can stop projectiles by facing them. However, my favorites to play are Charme if I want to get through a dungeon quickly to get loot quickly or Tielle if I'm in the mood for a more slow-paced adventure, taking my time. Charme essentially can constantly run through the dungeons and detect if there are traps in chests, while Tielle can do massive damage at once. However, playing as Tielle the game's biggest flaw becomes apparent—it's the same button to pick up items and to use a primary attack, while one button does nothing but change the camera in your shop. It's very frustrating to let go off a charged attack to pick up an item or waste a critical hit on picking up egg toast. It's an annoyance, but it doesn't really hinder my enjoyment all that much. Each of the adventurers aren't just fun to play, they're also interesting characters in their own right. I won't spoil all of their personalities here, but some of them get kind of weird. Like Nagi, who is spacey that she ends up getting lost... in dungeons. Speaking of characters, this has one of the best "mean girl" characters I've ever seen. Allouete claims to be so much richer than you so she buys pretty much anything for an absurdly high price, it's almost comical. If you've looked at my steam profile, you've seen that I've played this game for over 200 hours and I'm still really into it. The game is not long at all. Well, it can be. If you never go into dungeons and only rely on market items or items sold to you, the game is going to be quite short and if you're going into the dungeons twice every day for as long as possible, it's going to take a long time. I mean, the final dungeon doesn't even open up to you after you've "beaten" the game. I like this game so much that I'm currently in the middle of getting all of the "true cards." You get these after you've paid off your final debt. It basically gives you the ability to use whatever adventurer you used the most throughout your playthrough from the beginning on a new game plus. There are seven of these things (not counting Arma's) and you can only get one per playthrough (remember, these are optional. If you don't want to go through with it, you don't have to). So yes, I'm trying to go through this thing like seven times to truly get 100%. My plan is to Caillou (to stop him from asking for the Slime Liver and other ingredients) -> Nagi -> Tielle -> Elan -> Griff -> Charme -> Louie. I don't mind doing this because I enjoy playing all of these guys, with the exception of Elan. I guess Recettear is kind of like my "potato chip" game. The game that once you start playing you really can't stop. You can play it in small incriments or you could play it all day. I mean, there's nothing more satisfying than finally coming across that rare treasure that allows you to make a powerful item. There's nothing more funny that people trying to sell you their precious family heirloom passed down through generations—their beloved ham sandwich. Also, if you play this game you will never take back scratchers for granted ever again. Number 6: Pokemon – Generation 6 (3DS) OMG, Pokemanz isn't number 1. The world has gone insane! By Generation 6, I am specifically talking about Pokemon X and Alpha Sapphire. My first Pokemon game was Pokemon Yellow, which did introduce me to the franchise quite nicely, but gave me a very... mixed introduction. Yellow may have the least amount of catchable Pokemon in any main series Pokemon game. Not to mention that it's generally not a good idea to have the first boss be entirely immune to your first character (Pokemon's) attacks. My favorite generation before this one was Generation 3, since my next Pokemon game was Ruby. Yes, I missed Generation 2 entirely, so I couldn't exactly be bummed with what they took out in Ruby/Sapphire. All I knew was that it was a huge step up for me from Pokemon yellow. Actually, I found that I liked it more than Pokemon Firered, probably for the varied enviroments, the new Pokemon, and the music. I actually wouldn't get back into Pokemon until Generation 6 with Pokemon X. The main difference here was: now I was an adult. Back in the older games I basically caught every Pokemon that I hadn't before and kept whatever in my party. I also used the limited edition patented little kid strategy—you use only one Pokemon you really like in every single battle (Nidoking and Sceptile respectively) and only use that Pokemon to fight. When it goes down, you use one of your other Pokemon to get hit while you use a revive. When I was a kid, I tried fighting Sabrina with Nidoking as my only feasable Pokemon. In Gen 1. It was... a time. Consequently Lorelli was the hardest battle in the game for me. Playing Pokemon X, I had the mind of a strategist and access to the internet... I could battle real people now and figure out ways to beat them. I mean, Generation 6 was the first time that I used many of my favorite Pokemon, like Shuckle or Whimsicott. It was super easy to trade for the Pokemon I couldn't catch, like a Cloyster. I could finally have the team that I actually wanted. I don't know why I'm talking in the past tense though, I'm still playing these games. Actually I took a short hiatus because I completed the Hoenn Dex in Alpha Sapphire. And yes, I do mean "completed." I managed to get a Jirachi. Yes I know it wasn't necessary. Just like it's not necessary to get 100% item encyclopedia in Recettear, or do a solo character run in Baldur's Gate. I don't leave stones unturned in my favorite video games. The only part of Generation 6 I haven't liked so far is probably the Delta episode, for reasons. Most of those reasons being Whimsur's poop hole clearly on display when the game wanted me to take its story very seriously. I can't take anything seriously when Whimsur's around. Also, Zinnia is kind of... I don't like here. Yay, let's stop a proven way to save the earth on the basis that it MAY harm theoretical people in another dimension, and your way might not work out. In fact it almost didn't. Zinnia came across as someone who wanted to risk the world just to SEE Rayquaza. She was stupid at best and selfish at worst. But back to the good. For once I actually managed to make a strategic team. Several really. If you're wondering my current team is a Cloyster holding a focus sash. It knows Icicle Spear, rock blast, water pulse, and shell smash. Yes, it is skill link, and this is the one that managed to pwn a Mega Rayquaza in one hit. Next up is my Togekiss, which I actually got from Japan in a wonder trade and one of the first Pokemon I raised to level 100. It's holding a shell bell, knows Follow Me, Thunder Wave, Dazzling Gleam, and Air Slash. If you're wondering I use this team for both doubles and singles. Porygon-Z is my go-to lead. Not only is it fast and has some hard hitting moves (tri attack, ice beam, dark pulse, and thunderbolt) but if the opponent tries to do something funny like Swagger, this guy is holding the Lum Berry. Next up is a prankster Whimsicott, knowing leech seed, substitute, encore, and taunt. You actually don't want to taunt this thing. It's holding a mental herb. If the opponent ever tries taunting my Whimsicott, it'll use it's mental herb. I'll generally use taunt next, and then encore. Because you tried to use the common counter to whimsicott you'll now be struggling into whimscott's substitute while it's leech seeding. Then there's the star of the show, my Shuckle. It's contrary has has shell smash, rest, toxic, and infestation. I used to give it leftovers, but with Shuckle it's actually kind of redundant. I gave him a rocky helmet... so enemies are now beating themselves to death as Shuckle is barely getting scratched. And finally rounding out the team is my Delphox, the starter I actually got in my first Pokemon X playthrough (which I'm now playing through again to get the other legendary birds). He's holding a power herb with psychock, flamethrower, solar beam, and will-o-wisp. He's there to get rid of my team's ice weakness and does a really good job. I'm actually having a hard time talking about specificly why I like Pokemon so much. I could talk about my teams, my favorites, some of my favorite moments, like that shiny Luiga, found on first try, no resets. There's also the time that my team of level 50's almost took out a team of level 100 legendaries (for some reason it wouldn't let me record) and that motivated me to get all of my Pokemon to level 100, even though by most cases that's redundant. Pokemon is a general experience and honestly when Generation 7 comes around, it's probably going to top this one. I mean new installments generally don't take steps backwards as far as games mechanics go and as long as it's still fun to play I'm not going to mind any ridiculous new designs. There's a lot to talk about here, but I've chewed off your ear about Pokemon enough for now. Category:Top Tens